The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In some instances, the knee joint may undergo degenerative changes due to multiple etiologies. In some examples, when these degenerative changes are advanced, irreversible and unresponsive to non-operative management, it may ultimately become necessary to replace some or all of the natural knee joint with knee joint prosthetics. In one example, a knee joint prosthesis can comprise a femoral component and a tibial component. The femoral component and the tibial component can be designed to be surgically attached to the distal end of the femur and the proximal end of the tibia, respectively. The femoral component can further be designed to cooperate with the tibial component in simulating the articulating motion of an anatomical knee joint.
Typically, the tibial component can include a substantially planar platform-like tibial tray and an inferiorly extending tibial stem. The tibial stem can be adapted to be received in a corresponding opening made by a surgeon in the longitudinal center of the tibia. In general, it can be desired to provide a tibial tray having sufficient fatigue strength as well as providing an area for bone fixation.